1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ink jet recording apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-36745 has a paper cassette that can be inserted from the front in a sliding manner and a U-turn conveying unit.
The recording apparatus has a feeding and separating unit in the inside. The feeding and separating unit separates the uppermost one of the sheets (recording media) loaded in the paper cassette and feeds the sheet to the U-turn conveying unit, toward the rear of the recording apparatus. The fed uppermost sheet is conveyed and caused to U-turn along the conveying path of the U-turn conveying unit. Thus, the conveying direction is changed to a direction toward the front of the recording apparatus.
Thereafter, the sheet is conveyed substantially horizontally from the U-turn conveying unit by a conveying roller provided in the front of the recording apparatus toward the front of the recording apparatus, to under a recording head disposed above the conveying roller. The recording head discharges ink onto the sheet, thereby recording an image. The sheet on which an image is recorded is discharged onto a paper output tray provided in a paper discharge unit in the front of the recording apparatus.
The recording apparatus has a second paper feeding unit above the U-turn conveying unit and can feed the sheets set in a paper feeding tray of the second paper feeding unit in preference to the sheets set in the paper cassette. So, it is possible to set frequently-used sheets (for example, plain paper) in the paper cassette, to set another kind of sheets (for example, gloss paper or postcards) in the paper feeding tray of the second paper feeding unit, and to preferentially feed the other kind of sheets. When the other kind of sheets are used, it is not necessary to take out the frequently-used sheets from the paper cassette and to then set the other kind of sheets in the paper cassette. Thus, the operability is improved.
A recording apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-297869 has a document reader unit that has a document reading function. The document reader unit is mounted at the top of the recording apparatus and forward of a second paper feeding unit. This type of recording apparatus is called multifunction device.
The recording apparatus can store image data read by the document reader unit in a memory inside the recording apparatus, transmit the image data to a personal computer connected to the recording apparatus, or record the image data with the recording head of the recording apparatus. The document reader unit has a rotating shaft in the rear thereof. The rotating shaft is supported by the main body of the recording apparatus. By rotating the document reader unit upward around the rotating shaft, an operator can access the inside of the recording apparatus. So, the operator can easily replace ink or remove jammed paper. Thus, the ease of maintenance is improved.
In addition, the recording apparatus has a paper feeding tray and a paper output tray that can be retracted into and integrated with the main body of the recording apparatus when the recording apparatus is not used. So, space can be saved when the recording apparatus is stored. The retracted paper feeding tray and paper output tray are configured to block the openings of the second paper feeding unit and a paper discharge unit, respectively, thereby protecting the inside of the recording apparatus, for example, from the dust. Thus, the malfunction of the recording apparatus can be prevented.
FIGS. 5 to 7 are sectional views of conventional recording apparatuses.
A recording apparatus shown in FIG. 5 has a paper cassette 110 protruding forward from the main body of the recording apparatus and a second paper feeding unit 180 protruding rearward. So, the recording apparatus requires a large installation space.
A recording apparatus shown in FIG. 6 has a paper cassette 210 and a second paper feeding unit 280 each not protruding from the main body of the recording apparatus. So, the installation space of the recording apparatus is reduced. However, since the paper cassette is disposed in the rear, the recording apparatus has a U-turn conveying unit 240 with a lengthened sheet-conveying path and therefore has a low recording speed compared to the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 5.
A recording apparatus shown in FIG. 7 has a recording head 360 disposed in the rear of the recording apparatus and therefore has a U-turn conveying unit 340 with a short sheet-conveying path. So, the recording speed is improved without increasing the installation space of the recording apparatus. However, the recording head 360 disposed in the rear of the recording apparatus reduces the ease of access to the inside of the recording apparatus, thereby reducing the ease of maintenance such as replacement of ink and removal of jammed paper. In addition, since the recording head 360 is disposed in the rear of the recording apparatus, it is difficult to install a second paper feeding unit. When a different kind of sheets from the sheets set in a paper cassette 310 are used, it is necessary to take out the set sheets from the paper cassette 310 and to then set the different kind of sheets in the paper cassette 310. Thus, the operability is deteriorated.